Page:Carroll Rankin--Dandelion Cottage.djvu/240

 216  or two, and, incidentally, increase the parish income, which as everybody knew stood greatly in need of increasing. He had no patience with slipshod methods. He was truly sorry when business matters compelled him to appear hard-hearted; but to him it appeared little short of absurd for a man of Mr. Black's years to waste on four small girls a cottage that might be bringing in a comfortable sum every month in the year.

"Now that's a very pretty little story," said Mr. Downing, when Jean had finished. "But you see, you've already had the cottage more than long enough to pay you for pulling those few weeds."

"Few!" exclaimed Mabel, in indignant protest and forgetting her promise of silence. "Few! Why, there were billions of 'em. If we'd been paid two cents a hundred for them we'd all be rich. Mr. Black promised us we could have that cottage for all summer and our rent hasn't half perspired yet."

"She means expired," explained